Brooks: Jameis Does Some “Goofy Stuff” In Pregame, But He’s A Competitor

Jameis Winston gave one of the most comical pregame speeches you’ll ever see in the NFL on Sunday, shaping his fingers into a “W,” licking them, and saying he wanted to “eat a W tonight.”

Jets safety Terrence Brooks, who was Winston’s teammate at Florida State, had never seen Winston do anything like that in Tallahassee.

“No, that was a first,” Brooks said on CBS Sports Radio’s The DA Show, laughing. “He’s always been a pretty hyped-up player and very energetic and goofy, but that was a first one on that one. I think he lost his team a little bit on that one. But that’s Jameis, man. That’s him. He never changes. He throws out some goofy stuff every once in a while, but he’s definitely a competitor in the moment.”

Unfortunately for Winston, his speech didn’t translate to a victory. The Bucs lost to the Saints, 30-10, to fall to 2-6 on the season.

Winston, who won the Heisman in 2013, and Brooks, a former first-team All-American, led Florida State to a national title.

“He did a really good job with those pregame speeches,” Brooks said of Winston. “He didn’t catch us off guard like he did those guys on Sunday. But for the most part, we naturally fed off his leadership. He’s a great leader, a natural leader. Everybody just fed off of him. That’s what got us going. But you got to give it up to that defense at Florida State. They were pretty dominant, too.”

Florida State has won 10+ games under Jimbo Fisher in five consecutive seasons, but that streak will end this season. The Seminoles lost quarterback Deondre Francois to a torn patellar tendon in a season-opening loss to Alabama and never recovered. They are 3-5 heading into Death Valley this Saturday for a showdown with No. 4 Clemson (8-1).

Brooks said he’s “definitely” been frustrated watching this season.

“There’s a standard that’s been passed down from all the guys before us and the standard that we try to pass down, too,” Brooks said. “Jimbo, he expects a lot out of those players. He expects NFL play. That’s what he wants out of us.”

Brooks doesn’t think any one person is to blame for the Seminoles’ disappointing season, but he would like to see more accountability from the players.

“What was so special about our 2013 team is the players on the field were pretty much like coaches,” he said. “When guys were messing up, we were getting on them. It wasn’t the coaches. They didn’t have to do it. So it was a high standard around there. We held everyone to that. That’s what made that team so special.”